Srinagar, Jun 30 (IANS): A van carrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims met with an accident on Sunday en route to the cave shrine in the Chandanwari area in South Kashmir's Pahalgam.

Border Security Force (BSF) statement said, “A van carrying Shri Amarnath Ji Yatris met with an accident near Chandanwari. Some pilgrims sustained serious head injuries and were promptly evacuated by the BSF QRT to a nearby hospital. The quick response of BSF saved the precious lives of the pilgrims.”

More details were awaited.

The 52-day-long annual Amarnath Yatra started on June 29 and will end on August 19 coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Shravan Purnima festivals. So far, over 13,000 pilgrims have performed the Amarnath Yatra.

Pilgrims use either the traditional 48-km long south Kashmir Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp route or the north Kashmir Baltal base camp route to reach the cave shrine situated 3,888 metres above the sea level in Kashmir Himalayas.